'He really could be anything': Giannis Antetokounmpo is about to take over the NBA

Morry Gash / AP

The Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo juggles some small basketballs during media day on Sept. 25, 2017.

The Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo juggles some small basketballs during media day on Sept. 25, 2017.

(Morry Gash / AP)

Tim BontempsThe Washington Post

Giannis Antetokounmpo stood on the court inside the Milwaukee Bucks' sparkling new downtown practice facility Thursday afternoon, discussing his performance against the Boston Celtics the night before in Milwaukee's season opener.

Antetokounmpo had a remarkable game — 37 points on 13-for-22 shooting from the field and 11-for-13 from the foul line to go with 13 rebounds, three assists and three steals in 37 minutes in a 108-100 victory. But to hear him tell it, he still can improve.

"Definitely things are slowing down for me," Antetokounmpo said. "Day by day, and game by game, the game becomes easier, and it gets a lot slower. From Day 1 [of my rookie year], from Year 1 to Year 5, the game is a lot different.

"I couldn't imagine, when I was a rookie, that I would be able to see the game the way I am seeing the game now.

"I think I can get a lot better."

Told that that is a scary thought for the rest of the league, Antetokounmpo said, "I know. And I think I can play a lot smarter, too. That was a good game [against Boston], but I don't think I played as smart as I think I am in that game.

"There's a lot of things to improve on, and it's kind of scary that I'm thinking about that. Because I could easily be saying, 'Oh, we won, I had 37,' and then just sit on my butt and be happy about it. But there's a lot of things I can do better, and that's kind of scary."

It's downright terrifying for the rest of the NBA, which already struggles to contain the 22-year-old superstar's limitless potential. In fact, entering his fifth season, Antetokounmpo may be ready to get himself in the yearly MVP conversation - and even make a case for inclusion in best-player-in-the-world debates.

"I think it's fair," Bucks coach Jason Kidd said as he prepared to face the Cavaliers on Friday night in Milwaukee's home opener. "And I think it's realistic."

That's a lot to put on anyone who turns 23 in December — even someone as ridiculously gifted as Antetokounmpo, who sports a combination of length, athleticism and skill that one usually finds only in NBA2K. But those are goals that Antetokounmpo targeted, beginning with conversations with Kidd and assistant coach Sean Sweeney after the Bucks lost a hard-fought first-round series to the Toronto Raptors.

"I asked them, 'What's the next step?'" Antetokounmpo said. "[They said], 'You've got to get to that MVP level. You have to be the MVP of this team, and try to lead it to 50 wins.'

Bucks President Peter Feigin talks about the team's new arena set to open in 2018, on June 8, 2017. The 714,000-square-foot stadium is on schedule and on budget.

Bucks President Peter Feigin talks about the team's new arena set to open in 2018, on June 8, 2017. The 714,000-square-foot stadium is on schedule and on budget.

To that end, he made changes in his life to try to achieve those goals. He cut out fast food, junk food and candy (though he still has healthy smoothies, the treat he grew to love upon arriving in the NBA).

"I can't do that no more," Antetokounmpo said of eating poorly. "It gets to a point where your body can't take it. Last year was a long season, and it was the first season I went through playing a lot of minutes, so I had to do something to feel better, and changing my diet helped me feel a lot better."

The result: The string bean of a teenager he was when he came to the NBA from Greece in 2013 is now towering and muscular, capable of throwing people around as few wing players can (other than James). That has allowed Antetokounmpo to become a dominant player even though his jump shot remains suspect.

That's the only thing about his game that is suspect, however. Antetokounmpo essentially fills a new position all his own: a point-center, capable of bringing the ball up and operating as a point guard offensively while playing every position at the other end of the court. Again, only James can match his positional flexibility — and that was before Antetokounmpo made a subtle, but important, improvement to his screening ability, which opens up a host of new offensive options for Milwaukee.

It's just another example of how Antetokounmpo's continued evolution and wide-ranging abilities all lead back to one archetype: James, the world's undisputed best player. Bucks guard Matthew Dellavedova — who played alongside James in Cleveland before joining Milwaukee last summer — doesn't like to compare Antetokounmpo to James, but he certainly sees the parallels.

"They're both so unique," Dellavedova said. "I don't really compare him to LeBron because he's his own special player. He does things on the court pretty much every game that I haven't seen before, but where he is obviously similar is his desire to be the best and the work he puts in.

"I got to play with the finished product [as a] 10-, 12-year veteran, and Giannis is in his fifth year now. But if he keeps putting in the work, like I know he will and he does every day, he really could be anything."

Antetokounmpo really could be anything, but he isn't ready to say he's as good as James. Asked whether he considers players such as James to be his equals, rather than idols, his eyes grow as large as his gargantuan hands.

"Because, at the end of the day, I grew up watching those people. When Kobe [Bryant] came to the league, I was two years old. So that feeling is never going to change. When LeBron came into the league, I was nine years old. So I grew up watching him play.

"So that feeling is never going to change. I just try to stay grounded. I don't feel like I'm an equal with them. I just have to keep working hard, and one day I can be in the same league."

Antetokounmpo may not want to let himself believe it, but that day already has arrived.